Rep. Gerry Connolly says the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ recent approval of the revitalization project for Crescent Apartments and the Lake Anne Plaza area is an important step in preserving affordable housing in Fairfax County.

Connolly (D-Va. 11th) represents Reston, as well as other parts of Fairfax County. He formerly served as the Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, where he was an advocate for affordable housing.

“Not only will this redevelopment replace the current 181 affordable units and add four new ones for families with incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income, but it also will add 175 new workforce housing units,” Connolly said. “In addition, the county will be able to re-invest the proceeds from this sale in additional affordable housing projects.”

The Board of Supervisors last week approved Lake Anne Development Partners’ (LADP) extensive plan to add more than 1,000 apartments and townhouses, mostly where the county owned Crescent Apartments stands today.

LADP’s plan also calls for 78,000 square feet of office space and 58,000 square feet of retail space, a modest-sized grocery store and realignment of Village Road. The project will also have a 1.1-acre central park, an outdoor amphitheater, a bike share station and 12 public art works, according to the project’s county staff report.

Crescent Apartments were purchased for $49.5 million by the county in 2006. Development conditions included replacement of the 181 affordable Crescent units with 185 units, as well as providing an additional 20 percent of units as workforce housing.

“This culminates a process we set in motion nine years ago when, during my tenure as Chairman, the Board purchased the Crescent apartments to prevent the loss of these affordable units, which were at risk of condominium conversion,” Connolly said in a release.

Connolly pointed out that Crescent was one of the early milestones of the Penny for Housing Fund, which he helped launch as part of Board of Supervisor’s Affordable Housing Initiative.

“Since 2006, the fund has provided more than $170 million to preserve 2,701 affordable units throughout the County as we work to reduce the sizable affordable housing gap that still exists,” said Connolly.

Many Crescent residents, as well as representatives of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE), an advocacy group for low-income Fairfax County residents, spoke at the supervisors’ public hearing in February. During the process they have repeatedly reminded the supervisors to remember the Crescent residents and not price them out of their own neighborhoods.

However, Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), the lone supervisor voting against the Crescent project last week, said there is too much affordable housing, and that will place a burden on local schools.

Connolly said incorporating housing for all levels of income continues the vision of Reston that founder Bob Simon started more than 50 years ago.

“Providing housing for people of all incomes was one of Bob Simon’s founding principles for Reston, and it is because of that inclusiveness that Reston, and the rest of our community, has thrived,” he said. “This also represents the next evolution of Lake Anne Plaza, which was built more than 50 years ago and was an early model for walkable, mixed-use development.

This new plan will add more than 1,000 residential units, restaurants, a grocery store, more retail, offices, and open space in a fashion that integrates multimodal transportation choices and fosters an even greater a sense of community in harmony with Bob Simon’s original vision.”

Next up in the process is site approval, and LADP officials said they hope to break ground in 2016. The project is expected to take 10 to 12 years to complete.

A stretch of road in Reston is about to get a lot pricier should you be caught speeding.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last week approved a resolution to install “$200 additional fines for speeding” signs on Thunder Chase Drive, which runs from Sunrise Valley Drive to Colts Brook Drive.

The markup in speeding fees in the residential area — where the speed limit is 35 — come as part of a the county’s Residential Traffic Administration Program (RTAP).

As part of the RTAP, roads are reviewed for traffic calming changes when requested by a board member on behalf of a homeowners or civic association. In November and December of last year, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation received written verification from Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins confirming community support, according to county documents.

The supervisors also approved the same signage and increased fees on Broadwater Drive from Paynes Church Drive to James Halley Drive in the Braddock District.

From the county:

Section 46.2-878.2 of the Code of Virginia permits a maximum fine of $200, in addition
to other penalties provided by law, to be levied on persons exceeding the speed limit on
appropriately designated residential roadways. These residential roadways must have
a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less.

In addition, to determine that a speeding
problem exists, staff performs an engineering review to ascertain that additional speed
and volume criteria are met. Broadwater Drive from Paynes Church Drive to James
Halley Drive (attachment II) and Thunder Chase Drive from Colts Brook Drive to
Sunrise Valley Drive (attachment III) meets the RTAP requirements for posting of the
“$200 Additional Fine for Speeding Signs.”

Three public hearings and a decision related to the Lake Anne-area revitalization project are on the docket for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The board will decide on a request for a parking reduction for the project. Two weeks ago, Lake Anne Development Partners requested to reduce by nearly 500 the number of parking spots that will be available in the area after the massive redevelopment of Crescent Apartments and the surrounding area is completed.

Some of LADP’s reasons for the reduction:

• The county has parking standards for suburban development, but since the Crescent redevelopment is being planned in a more urban style, the developers have asked for the reduction.
• A reduction in parking will have a positive impact on traffic levels and walkability, among other reasons. Some of the reasons, according to county documents:
• The project has proffered a comprehensive transportation plan with specific goals and strategies targeted to reduce auto‐ownership among future residents as well as reducing parking supply.
• The project has proffered an overall 25-percent trip reduction goal for the resident and office users, which corresponds to a strategy that reduces the parking supply.
• Managing parking by reducing supply helps to reduce the undesirable impacts of parking demand on local and regional traffic levels and the resulting impacts on community livability.
• The project seeks to promote a vibrant community where people can live, play and work providing opportunities to limit auto‐ownership among residents; single occupancy vehicle trips.
• This site is served by existing established Fairfax Connector and RIBs bus routes along North Shore Drive.
• The site is located entirely within 1.65 miles of the Wiehle‐Reston East Silver Line Metro station providing a mass transit commuter option in the nearby proximity.
• Most importantly, the project has proffered a comprehensive TDM and Parking Management Plan that will monitor and measure the project’s traffic and parking reduction goals. If the parking reductions are not achieved in the East Side, a plan to provide additional spaces has been proffered.

It has been requested that 477 fewer parking spaces serve the project. That is a parking reduction of 18 percent. The County Executive recommends that the Board approve the 18 percent parking reduction. The county also says parking should include at least 1,031 parking spaces on the west side of the development and a minimum of 1,136 parking spaces on the east side for a total of 2,167 total spaces when the project is fully developed.

When it is completed, the project will have 1,037 new residential units (including replacement of the 181 affordable units at Crescent); 60,000 square feet of retail; a 15,800-square-foot grocery store; and 78,000 square feet of office space.  Read More

When D.C.-based developer Akridge announced on Monday that it had teamed with RTC Partnership LLC to construct what will be Reston’s tallest building, it brought a somewhat dormant project back in to the spotlight.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the $210 million project back in Sept. 2012. The 330-foot tall tower will replace an aging five-story office tower at 1760 Reston Parkway.

“This will stand as a stark example of what world-class design is called for in the principles of Reston,” Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said at the September 2012 BOS hearing. “We will not have to remain in the sameness of heights and density as a measure of world-class design.”

The journey to approval of the tower — which will hold 420,000-square-feet of office space at Reston Parkway and Bowman Towne Drive — was not without controversy.

Opponents of the project were concerned about the scale of the building, calling it “incompatible with Reston. Also of concern was additional traffic as the building, which will contain a parking garage, will be nearly one mile from the Reston Town Center Metro station, which is scheduled to open in late 2018.

Critics of the project included Reston Association and the Fairfax County Planning Commission staff, which said the building was out of scale with its surroundings.

The building was approved by the supervisors anyway. The current  building was zoned Planned Residential Community in 1978 and is under no height restrictions. The proposed density of 4.08 Floor-Area Ratio on the 2.36-acre property is actually less than several surrounding buildings or proposed buildings, representatives for RTC Partnership pointed out at the time.

The project was recently mentioned at last month’s Board of Zoning Appeals hearing on whether Reston National Golf Course could be considered residential. The building was mentioned as one that was approved by the Board of Supervisors contrary to the staff report.

The proposed height of the building makes it 125 feet taller than Reston’s tallest building, One Freedom Square.

However, with a high-density project coming at The Spectrum, which surrounds 1760 Reston Parkway, as well as the new, 14-story residential towers at The Harrison nearly ready to open across the street, the building will not be such a contrast eventually.

The building will feature a large rooftop plaza, grand lobby, floor-to-ceiling glass, panoramic views from the Blue Ridge mountains to D.C., 9.5-foot ceilings, five levels of screened parking above street level, ground-floor retail and roughly 18 floors of office space.

Reston founder Robert E. Simon, who has long been a proponent of higher density in Reston, called the project “a perfect location” back in 2012.

“The question is ‘is this is good location?'” said Simon. “It is a perfect location. Town Center starts at and goes to This building will be right in the center and will be appropriate.”

No start date has been set. The Washington Business Journal reports that the building is seeking an anchor tenant to prelease at least 150,000 square feet before proceeding with construction.

Photo: Rendering of planned 23-story tower/Credit: RTC Partnership

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are considering a request from Lake Anne Development Partners to reduce by nearly 500 the number of parking spots that will be available in the area after the redevelopment of the 24.3 acres of Crescent Apartments and the surrounding area is completed.

The county has parking standards for suburban development, but since the Crescent redevelopment is being planned in a more urban style, the developers have asked for the reduction.

A reduction in parking will have a positive impact on traffic levels and walkability, among other reasons. Some of the reasons, according to county documents:

The project has proffered a comprehensive transportation plan with specific goals and strategies targeted to reduce auto‐ownership among future residents as well as reducing parking supply.

The project has proffered an overall 25-percent trip reduction goal for the resident and office users, which corresponds to a strategy that reduces the parking supply.

Managing parking by reducing supply helps to reduce the undesirable impacts of parking demand on local and regional traffic levels and the resulting impacts on community livability.

The project seeks to promote a vibrant community where people can live, play and work providing opportunities to limit auto‐ownership among residents; single occupancy vehicle trips.

This site is served by existing established Fairfax Connector and RIBs bus routes along North Shore Drive.

The site is located entirely within 1.65 miles of the Wiehle‐Reston East Silver Line Metro station providing a mass transit commuter option in the nearby proximity.

Most importantly, the project has proffered a comprehensive TDM and Parking Management Plan that will monitor and measure the project’s traffic and parking reduction goals. If the parking reductions are not achieved in the East Side, a plan to provide additional spaces has been proffered.

It has been requested that 477 fewer parking spaces serve the project. That is a parking reduction of 18 percent. A minimum total 2,167 spaces is proposed at full build-out to serve the East and West Sides of the project.

When it is completed, the project will have 1,037 new residential units (including replacement of the 181 affordable units at Crescent); 60,000 square feet of retail; a 15,800-square-foot grocery store; and 78,000 square feet of office space. 

“We worked with the County developing features insuring the walkability of the Lake Anne redevelopment,” said Stacy Hornstein, Senior Vice President and Director of Acquisition and Development for Republic, the parent company of Lake Anne Development Partners.

“In the area around Lake Anne commercial center we developed shared parking program that is based upon the model developed by Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Parking in a mixed use environment has peaks and valleys and the ITE model creates a balance of parking needs at various times during the day and night. On the Crescent property we have requested a parking reduction due partly from the walkability of the community but also the efforts we have proffered to reduce the reliance on automobiles.“

The County Executive recommends that the Board approve the 18 percent parking reduction. The county also says parking should include at least 1,031 parking spaces on the west side of the development and a minimum of 1,136 parking spaces on the east side for a total of 2,167 total spaces when the project is fully developed.

At full build-out, a minimum of 388 garage parking spaces shall be maintained to serve the West Side residential dwelling units, the county executive said.

The project also calls for a 120-space parking garage to be built on a parcel of land adjacent to the current Lake Anne Plaza. That land, formerly owned by Reston Association, was the subject of a controversial land swap in late 2o13.

The board will also conduct public hearings on several Lake Anne-area topics. The public hearings were deferred from the Supervisors’ Jan. 27 meeting. The three separate topics all have to due with density and development conditions, as well as stormwater management, to allow the project to finally proceed.

The Supervisors will vote on the issue at their Feb. 17 meeting. The Supervisors will also conduct a public hearing and vote on Feb. 17 whether to move the entire Lake Anne-area plan forward.

The project was recommended for approval by the Fairfax County Planning Commission last week.

Rendering of Lake Anne/Crescent project/Credit: Lake Anne Development Partners

The dedicated bike room at Wiehle-Reston East’s Silver Line Metro station is getting a new name. The facility will be named in honor of Charlie Strunk, Fairfax County’s first Bicycle Program Manager who retired from the post last month.

The honor was suggested by Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins at the county Board of Supervisors Meeting Jan. 12. and unanimously approved by the supervisors.

The station’s bike room was the first such secure bike facility in the county. Hudgins said Strunk led not only the design efforts, but coordinated with other county departments, stakeholders, and advocacy groups to ensure all voices and concerns were heard.

The Wiehle Reston-East Bike Room currently has 300 members and is the prototype for other rooms being planned at the Stringfellow Park-and-Ride Lot, the Rolling Road VRE Station, Route 1 Transit Center; as well as the Herndon and Innovation Center Metrorail Stations.

Strunk was named county bike coordinator in 2006 and received the Fairfax Advocates for Better Biking Award of Recognition in 2012. He also received the 2009 Transportation Achievement Award from the Transportation Advisory Commission.

Some of Strunk’s impact on the Fairfax County bike program include bike racks on the front of all Fairfax Connector buses; bike storage lockers at several park-and-ride lots; and a bike map with on- and off-road routes across the county.

He was also instrumental in organizing the county’s first bike master plan, which was approved by the supervisors in October.

The supervisors will dedicate a plaque renaming the bike room at a future date.

Photo: Charlie Strunk/Credit: Fairfax County

Correction: an earlier version of this story said the Board of Supervisors would vote on the plan on Jan. 27. They will not vote until Feb. 17.

The long-awaited Crescent Apartments/Lake Anne area plan will go before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in a series of meetings that get it closer to construction starting at the site of the aging apartment complex.

The first meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 27. It will focus on the public-private partnership between Lake Anne Development Partners and the county government, addressing the business aspects of the partnership such as the purchase and sale agreement and associated fees, county officials said.

The second public hearing will take place Feb. 17, and will focus on the LADP’s zoning application needed to proceed with the Lake Anne Redevelopment Plan.

Both hearings will take place at the Fairfax Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway. To view the latest presentation on the Lake Anne Redevelopment Plan, Click Here. 

The Board of Supervisors public record is open. You can send comments Supervisor Cathy Hudgins at [email protected]. 

A vote of final approval from the board would clear the way for the project will add needed density to the Lake Anne area with 1,037 residential units (including replacement of the 181 affordable units at Crescent). It also plans 60,000 square feet of retail; a 15,800-square-foot grocery store; and 78,000 square feet of office space. 

The project will also have a 1.1-acre central park, an outdoor amphitheater, a bike share station and 12 public art works, according to the county planning staff report.

Lake Anne Plaza will not be redeveloped as it is a historic property. However, nearby revitalization is expected to improve the retail district at Lake Anne.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted 11-0 on Thursday to recommend approval of the project  to the Board of Supervisors.

A big sticking point held over from the Jan. 8 planning commission meeting was the contribution of developer Lake Anne Development Partners to the Fairfax County Park Authority. LADP wanted to proffer $100,000; the park authority wanted them to pay $1.4 million. The two sides reached a deal at a $500,000 contribution prior to Thursday’s planning commission meeting.

The planning commission also agreed to waive some conditions set forth by the planning staff concerning residential street length, transitional barriers and underground stormwater facilities.

LADP was chosen by the county in 2013 to redevelop the aging Crescent Apartments, which was purchased by the county in 2006 for affordable housing.

See the entire staff report on the project on Fairfax County’s website.

Photo: Artists rendering of Lake Anne-area redevelopment/Credit: LADP

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved changes to the comprehensive plan for redevelopment at Reston’s Lake Anne.

The changes, which mostly look at densities and add continuity to the six separate Land Bays comprising the comprehensive plan.

The plan, as approved in 2013, calls for a mix of uses and intensities in designated zones surrounding Lake Anne’s original village center, but leaves the historic part of the plaza untouched.

The changes approved by the supervisors at their Tuesday meeting mainly consider densities within the various “Land Bays’ — the areas in and around Lake Anne Plaza and nearby Crescent Apartments. The interior of Lake Anne Plaza is a designated historic district and is not a part of the redevelopment, though nearby sections of the current parking lot and several buildings not connected to the interior are included.

Lake Anne Development Partners (LADP) was selected in 2013 after a Request for Proposals by the county to develop the project. The company says the changes only modify some of the density around within the various Land Units to be consistent with the design as it has evolved during the pre-planning process, but it does not actually represent any material change in the overall densities or intent of the original Comprehensive Plan Amendment for Lake Anne Village Center that was initiated in 2007 and approved in March 2009.

The plan as already approved calls for up to 1,415 dwelling units and 219,000 square feet of non-residential uses and up to 1,535 dwelling units and 113,000 square feet of non-residential use under full consolidation.

Construction is expected to begin in 2015, LADP has said.

Entire staff report and land bay maps

Artist’s rendering of redeveloped Lake Anne Plaza area/Credit: Lake Anne Development Partners

Fairfax County on Tuesday agreed to the terms for a $403 million federal loan that will help build the Silver Line’s second phase, from Reston to Ashburn.

County officials said the low-interest loan will keep Phase 2 on track for completion in 2018 and will also help keep Dulles Toll Road rates from rising to help cover costs.

The vote was passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors.

The county will sign the official loan documents on Dec. 16. The money is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), which has also provided the project as a whole with about $1.9 billion in funding.

The loan will cover about 45 percent of the county’s total estimated $915 million share for building Phase 2. The county may defer payments for five years after the project is finished, so the county anticipates payments beginning in 2023.

“With Phase 1 on track to meet or even exceed ridership projections, I am very pleased to have approved low-interest federal financing for Phase 2,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. “The funds made available through the TIFIA loan keep the project on target for completion in 2018 and reduce costs for toll road users and taxpayers. The Silver Line is vital to the economic growth of Fairfax County, the region and the Commonwealth, and I am proud of the work we’ve done to make it a reality.”

Phase 1 of the Silver Line opened in July. It has five stops from Tysons Corner to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue and has already exceeded first-year ridership estimates. Phase 2 will run from Reston Parkway to Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn.

Bulova said Fairfax plans to use two county sources to repay the loan — money from the Dulles Rail Phase 2 Transportation Improvement District and Commercial and Industrial Tax Fund. The county will apply $218.2 million from this voluntary tax district and $185.1 million in commercial and industrial taxes.

Last month, Fairfax County approved a bond sale to fund parking garages at Herndon and Innovation Center stations to be built as part of Phase 2.

Fairfax is by far paying the biggest share of Phase 2 expenses among local partners. The total cost is expected to be $5.6 billion (about half of that already already going to Phase 1).

The breakdown: 16.1 percent by Fairfax County; 4.8 percent by Loudoun County; 4.1 percent by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority; and 75 percent (less any federal and state funding) by Dulles Toll Road revenues.

Additionally, $730 million — about 80 percent — of the county’s $915 million responsibility will be paid for by two voluntary, special tax districts created by landowners. They are the Dulles Rail Phase 1 Transportation Improvement District and Dulles Rail Phase 2 Transportation Improvement District.

Photo: Silver Line train in Reston/Credit: file photo by Jennifer Heffner

Raise For Supervisors? — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 on Tuesday to look into raising Supervisor salaries. Supervisors currently are paid $75,000 a year, but the county is facing $178 million budget shortfall. Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) said: “The Board of Supervisors showed again that they are completely out of touch with the residents of Fairfax County.”

“Frozen” World at Fair Oaks Mall — Are your kids obsessed with Elsa and all things Frozen? Then head to Fair Oaks Mall this holiday season to visit the Frozen Ice Palace Experience. This interactive display features all the cast members, as well as a 30-foot ice palace and a visit with Santa. [Fair Oaks Mall]

Gifts From The HeART — Mark your calendars for The Holiday Gift Shopping Event at Gifts from the HeART on Saturday. Reston Community Center at Lake Anne will turn into a festive marketplace of food and gifts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Works of handmade art in many mediums will be for sale.  Participating artists donate 10 percent of their proceeds from sales during the Holiday Gift Shopping Event to Cornerstones. [Reston Community Center]

Fairfax Real Estate Lagging — A George Mason University study says Fairfax County real estate values have not fully recovered from the recession. [Washington Post]

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved changes to 31 Fairfax Connector routes, many of them that serve Reston-area riders who are now using the buses to get to and from Metro’s Wiehle-Reston East station.

“Fairfax County overhauled its Connector service last year in anticipation of the Silver Line and in response to changing needs of our commuters,” said Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova.

“Demand for on time, reliable bus service is rising in Fairfax County. This shift will help meet that demand and we will continue to monitor service and reach out to our residents in order to provide them a safe and reliable trip to Metro, work and home.”

Since the launch of Metro’s Silver Line service in July, Fairfax Connector has been monitoring traffic conditions, schedule adherence, and ridership on routes serving the Dulles Corridor, said Bulova.

The county says that over the past two months, ridership has increased approximately 2 percent on weekdays and 7  percent on weekends. One of the strongest areas of growth are routes connecting Wiehle-Reston East with Reston Town Center, as well as with Dulles International Airport, and the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly.

Here are changes that affect Reston-area riders:

Route 505 – Reston Town Center

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• Departures on routes 505, 981, and 983 will be timed to provide an even spacing of buses between Reston Town Center and the Wiehle Metro station.

 Routes 551,557,559 – Reston South

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• An additional morning rush hour trip will be added on Route 557 departing Reston South Park and Ride at approximately 5:40 a.m.

 Routes 552,554,558 – Reston North

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• An additional morning rush hour trip will be added on Routes 552 and 554.
• The schedule will be revised to improve connections with Route 599.

Route 574 – Reston-Tysons

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• Buses will serve the Tysons Westpark transit station via Spring Hill Road providing connections to Route 401/402, making a trip between Springfield, Tysons, Merrifield, Annandale, and Reston possible by bus.

 Route 585 – Franklin Farm-Reston South

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.

Route 605 – Fair Oaks-Reston

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• The time between buses will change from every 60 minutes to every 45 minutes on weekdays and from every 60 minutes to every 70 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Buses will travel to and from Fair Oaks Mall via West Ox Road, Post Forest Drive, Government Center Parkway, the Fairfax County Government Center, and Monument Drive.
• Buses will serve Fair Lakes Promenade and Pender Creek via bus stops on Monument Drive at Fair Lakes Parkway.

 Route 950 – Herndon-Reston

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions and to improve Silver Line connections.
• Departures on routes 950 and 980 will be timed to provide an even spacing of buses between Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride and the Wiehle Metro station.
• An additional evening trip will be added in both directions to improve connectivity between Herndon and Reston.

 Routes 951,952 – Sunrise Valley Drive-Sunset Hills Road

• A new schedule will reflect travel times adjusted for current traffic conditions.
• Route 951 buses will serve the US Geological Survey campus on all morning rush hour, midday, and afternoon rush hour trips via Sunrise Valley Drive.

To see exact schedule changes, visit the Fairfax Connector website.

Photo: Fairfax Connector bus/file photo

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a plan this week to pay $8.7 million towards a Silver Line underpass structure on Town Center Parkway from Sunrise Valley Drive to Sunset Hills Road.

The supervisors said in county documents it is crucial to get the underpass built soon rather than try and construct it when Phase 2 of Metro’s Silver Line is already running. The funding will go towards planning the $157 million project.

Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff worked with Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on the plan, which calls for construction of a four-lane divided roadway under the Dulles Toll Road.

The Town Center Parkway Underpass Rail Support Structure project was part of the Board of Supervisors’ Six Year Transportation Priorities for FY2015 to FY2020, which was approved by the Board earlier this year.

According to FCDOT’s project timelines for the Six Year Transportation Priorities, the Town Center Parkway Underpass Rail Support Structure project is scheduled to begin implementation in FY 2015.

Phase 2 of the Silver Line, which will run from Reston’s Wiehle Avenue to Reston Parkway and Herndon, Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County, is under construction and expected to open in 2018. Phase 1, which opened in July, runs from Tysons Corner to Wiehle Avene.

Said the supervisors:

The extension of Town Center Parkway from Sunset Hills Road to Sunrise Valley Drive west of Edmund Halley Drive is recommended in the County’s Comprehensive Plan.

This improvement is necessary to achieve the vision of the Reston Transit Station Areas, and enhance connectivity of the overall roadway network.

Constructing the underpass structure beneath an active Metrorail line in the future would cause significant interruption to the rail service. To help eliminate, or at least minimize this disruption as much as possible, the county has proposed to fund the design and construction of the rail support structure as part of the Phase 2 Metrorail project that passes over the future underpass, thus allowing Metrorail tracks to span the future roadway extension.

This work would ensure that Phase 2 of the Silver Line would be supported when the  future underpass is constructed, and limit disruption to Metrorail service during construction of the underpass.

 

As the owners of Reston National Golf Course prepare for a Board of Zoning Appeals hearing, Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins says she continues to support the Fairfax County Zoning Administrator’s determination that Reston National Golf Course is open recreational space.

That’s the same stance Hudgins, along with Reston Association, the Reston Citizens Association and Rescue Reston had two years ago, the last time golf course owners RN Golf tried to appeal the zoning determination.

RN Golf never actually got its case to the Board of Zoning Appeals. While it was on the docket and postponed several times in 2012 and 2013, it was deferred indefinitely in summer 2013.

RN Golf, a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual Insurance, asked the county in the spring of 2012 for clarification on the course’s status. Even though it was commercial/open space, the company cited complicated Plan Residential Community rules written in 1970 and 1993 as options for the 166-acre space being deemed residential.

Fairfax County then responded that the course is open recreational space, and if the owners wanted something different, they needed to seek a rezoning.

Hudgins said in a statement on Friday that any redevelopment of the property for uses other than a golf course or open space would require an amendment to the Reston Master Plan, which is part of the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan, approval of a Development Plan Amendment and approval of a PRC plan from the Board of Supervisors.  Read More

Reston residents and workers can expect to see food trucks in more places.

Food trucks can now do business at shopping centers, office buildings and construction sites, after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved new rules on Tuesday.

The changes dropped the fees for vendors from more than $16,000 to just $100, making it easier for the trucks to do business. Fairfax County Chairman Sharon Bulova said locals will see more of this “complement to Fairfax County’s dining experiences.”

“I expect to see more of them operating at popular destinations such as Tysons, Mosaic District, Reston Town Center and the newly renovated Springfield Mall,” Bulova said in a statement.

The trucks can park at a single location for a maximum of four hours and must have property owners’ written consent to operate there. As many as three trucks can operate at a single location.

Vendors may only set up shop at developed industrial or commercial properties with a minimum of 25,000 square feet of floor area. The trucks are still forbidden from being parked on public roads.

Food trucks could soon be able to park in more locations across the county.

The public will have the opportunity to weigh in Tuesday afternoon on a proposal authorized by the county Board of Supervisors that would allow food trucks to operate at commercial and industrial properties, and lower the cost of permits for vendors.

The rules changes would let food trucks operate at shopping centers, office buildings and construction sites with permission from property owners plus a $100 permit, a $35 solicitor’s license and a $40 food establishment permit.

The current rules categorize food trucks as free-standing fast food restaurants and require them to pay a fee of more than $16,000, plus appear at two public hearings.

The Board is considering the proposal in light of the “increasing popularity of food trucks,” county documents show.

The section of the public hearing on food trucks is expected to occur about 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Fairfax County Government Center, at 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. The meetings can be viewed online live or after the session.